Jeevan (born Vijayabaskar Rangaraj) is an Indian
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, nativ ...
film actor in the Tamil film industry. He first appeared in the film ''
University
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
'' (2002). However, this was followed by greater success ''
Kaakha Kaakha
''Kaakha Kaakha'' (), titled ''The Police'' in the UK, is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. It stars Suriya and Jyothika, with Jeevan playing the antagonist. The film featured mus ...
'' (2003). Following a 3-year sabbatical, he returned as an actor in the main role with
Susi Ganesan
Ganeshan Subbiah known as Susi Ganesan is an Indian film director, producer, scriptwriter and screenwriter.
Early life
Ganesan was born on (25 August 1969) Vannivelampatti, Madurai District in Tamil Nadu to Tamil parents Subbiah and Sittamma. ...
's ''
Thiruttu Payale
''Thiruttu Payale'' ( en, Naughty thief) is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language black comedy thriller film written and directed by Susi Ganesan. The movie stars ''Kaakha Kaakha'' fame Jeevan (Tamil actor), Jeevan, Sonia Agarwal, Abbas ...
'' (2006), which earned him praise. He signed up for the remake of the
1974 film ''
Naan Avanillai'' (2007), and post-release gained even more praise for helping it become a success.
Biography
He graduated from the
St Bede's School in
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
. One of his classmates was actor
Surya Sivakumar. He took up
BA in Theatre Arts. He studied Theatre in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, and then took a 2½ years training in acting at the
Stella Adler Studio of Acting in
Hollywood. He worked as a
bartender
A bartender (also known as a barkeep, barman, barmaid, or a mixologist) is a person who formulates and serves alcoholic or soft drink beverages behind the bar, usually in a licensed establishment as well as in restaurants and nightclubs, but ...
in a
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
in
East London called 'Weatherspoons'.
Career
He first appeared in the film ''University'' but remained largely unnoticed due to poor public opinion of the film. However, this was followed by greater success as Pandyaa in ''
Kaakha Kaakha
''Kaakha Kaakha'' (), titled ''The Police'' in the UK, is a 2003 Indian Tamil-language action thriller film written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. It stars Suriya and Jyothika, with Jeevan playing the antagonist. The film featured mus ...
''. Despite winning critical acclaim and receiving several offers to play the antagonist in Tamil films, Jeevan waited two years and opted against signing any more films since he wanted to play lead characters. In March 2005, he was offered the film ''
Thotta
''Thotta'' ( en, Bullet) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language gangster film directed by Selva and produced by Mariappa Babu Baskar of Oscar Movies (a pioneer film production house in Kollywood). The film stars actor Jeevan and Priyamani alongside M ...
'' directed by
Selva
Selva () is a coastal comarque (county) in Catalonia, Spain, located between the mountain range known as the Serralada Transversal or Puigsacalm and the Costa Brava (part of the Mediterranean coast). Unusually, it is divided between the provinc ...
and accepted to work on the film, though delays meant he had starred in other films as protagonist before it released.
Following a three-year hiatus, he returned as an actor in the main role with Susi Ganesan's ''
Thiruttu Payale
''Thiruttu Payale'' ( en, Naughty thief) is a 2006 Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language black comedy thriller film written and directed by Susi Ganesan. The movie stars ''Kaakha Kaakha'' fame Jeevan (Tamil actor), Jeevan, Sonia Agarwal, Abbas ...
'', which earned him praise. He signed up for the remake of the 1974 film ''
Naan Avanillai'', and post-release gained even more praise for helping it become a success. His recent releases include ''
Thotta
''Thotta'' ( en, Bullet) is a 2008 Indian Tamil-language gangster film directed by Selva and produced by Mariappa Babu Baskar of Oscar Movies (a pioneer film production house in Kollywood). The film stars actor Jeevan and Priyamani alongside M ...
'' (co-starring
Priyamani
Priya Vasudev Mani Iyer (born 4 June 1984), known by her professional name Priyamani, is an Indian actress and former model, who works in the South Indian film industry. She is a recipient of Several Awards.
Priyamani made her acting debut ...
) and ''
Machakaaran
''Machakaaran'' is a 2007 Indian Tamil language, Tamil romance film, romantic action film written and directed by Tamilvannan of ''Kalvanin Kadhali (2006 film), Kalvanin Kadhali'' fame. The film stars Jeevan (Tamil actor), Jeevan and Kamna Jethma ...
'' (opposite
Kamna Jethmalani
Kamna Jethmalani (born 11 December 1985) is an Indian actress. She debuted in 2005 with the Telugu film '' Premikulu'' and had her first commercial success with her third feature film '' Ranam''. Subsequently, she played the lead role in a num ...
).His other ventures include ''
Jeyikkira Kuthira and Asariri'' which are yet to be released. Paambattam is the recent film in his career which is still under production.
Filmography
References
External links
*
Indian male film actors
Tamil male actors
Male actors in Tamil cinema
Living people
1975 births
Filmfare Awards South winners
International Tamil Film Award winners
{{India-film-actor-stub